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B. MACFADDEN, AIR SUPPLY MOISTENER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION memes.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 12. 1917. 1 fik Patented July 8, 1919.

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8.!J1ACFADDEN.

MR SUPPLY MOISTENER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 12. I917.

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B. MACF'ADDEN.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 12 19:7.

AIR SUPPLY MOISTENER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGPNES.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 3, 12th.

iipplicatien filed July 12, 1917. Serial No. 2.8%,655.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, l /lAorAnnnN, a citizen of the United States, residing in New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful improvements in .Air- Supply h loisteners for lnternal-Qombustion Engines, of which the following is a specification;

This invention relates to devices for moistening and warming the air supply for internal combustion engines and has for its object to improve and cheapen the construction of such devices and to provide a device which may be conveniently operated, and. which will be efficient in operation.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds; and while herein l describe minute details of the invention, the invention'is not limited to these since the details oi construction and combination may be greatly varied without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

In the accompanying drawing forming a art of this specification, there are shown by way of example, two or many possible embodiments of the invention.

Figure 1 is a side elevation oi an internal combustion engine with one form of my invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a central vertical sectional view of the moistener shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. i is a side elevation of an engine showing another form of my invention attached thereto.

' Fig. 5 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the moistener shown in Fig. ll

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1, the invention is shown applied to an internal combustion engine 5, of any usual or desired form, provided with a carbureter 6, an exhaust pipe 7, and a water pipe 8 establishing communication between the radiator, not shown, and the water jacket of the engine.

The moistener 10 is provided with an outlet pipe 11, communicating with the carbureter, and is also provided with a supply pipe 12 which in the present instance, communicates with the interior of a cylindrical housing is open at one or both ends, and forming an air jacket around the exhaust pipe 7,

whereby the air supply is heated before it passes through the supply pipe 12- into the r'noistener 10.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the moistener .10 comprises outer casing 15 provided with an intermediate transverse diaphragm 16 dividing the said casing into a float chamber 18 in the lower part thereof, and a reservoir 19 in the upper part thereof.

Passing vertically through said reservoir are the vertical intake pipe 20 and discharge pipe 21. The lower end of these pipes pass through suitable openings in the diaphragm in which openings they are secured in a water tight manner so that there is no com munication between the lower part of the reservoir and the float chamber. N ear the upper part of the pipes 20 and 21 are a plurality of openings 22 of suitable dimensions, but these openings are more or less partly covered by the linings 2a of felt or other absorbent material extending almost throughout the length or" the pipes 20 and 21. in addition to the linings 2%, additional cross pieces 25 of felt or the like may be provided extending across the pipes 20 and 21 from side to side of the lining.

Means are provided for maintaining water in the reservoir 19 up to about the level 26, whereupon water seeps through and saturates the linings 2e and the strips 25 so that the air passing through said pipes will become moistened.

Now will be described the means for introducing water into the reservoir and maintaining the same at the proper level. in the upper part of the reservoir 19 fixed between the pipes 20 and 21, is a needle valve seat 28 fed by a tube 29 in turn fed through valves 30 or 31 from the water pipe 8 or a tank 32 secured to the side of the upper part of the exhaust ipe 7.

Vertically disposed beneath the valve seat 28 is a small tube 84: fixed in an opening disposed centrally in the diaphragm 16 whereby said small tube communicates with the float chamber, but does not communicate with the reservoir. Passing vertically through the small tube 34 is a valve rod 35 provided at its upper end with a valve needle 36 adapted to be received by said valve seat, the lower end of the rod 35 being secured centrally on a float 33 adapted for limited movement up and down in the lower part of the float chamber. Near the upper end of the valve rod 35 is secured a cap 39 loosely receiving the upper end of the small tube 34.

In the side of the float chamber there is provided a suitable overflow device 40.

The operation of the device just described is as follows:

/Vhen the engine is operated, air is drawn into the carbureter through the pipes 11, 21, 20, and 12, from the warm air supply surrounding the exhaust pipe in the air jacket formed by the housing 14. As water is absorbed by the air from the felts 24 and from the water in the float chamber, the float 38 is lowered, thus opening the needle valve, whereupon water flows into the reservoir 19 and is absorbed by the felts. This flow of water continues until the felts are saturated and enough water drips therefrom to raise the float whereupon the needle valve isclosed, and remains closed until enough water is again evaporated to cause the lowering of the float. The object of the cap 39 is to prevent the water from flowing directly from the valve seat 28 into the small tube 34 and thence into the float chamber Where it would prematurely raise the float. Should the water continue to flow from the valve after the level 26 is reached, water will flow through the open upper end of the small tube 34 into the float chamber, thus raising the float and closing the valve,

The moistener just described also serves for heating the air supply when the engine is started up during cold weather before the exhaust pipe has time to heat up. This is accomplished by opening the valve 41 and thus emptying the reservoir 19, whereupon the valve 41 is closed. The reservoir 19 is then filled with hot water. This so warms the air supply that the engine will start up without further trouble.

The moistener 50 shown in Figs. 4 and 5 communicates with the-carbureter 6 inthe same manner as does the moistener 10, but is of a different construction and instead of being supplied with air from the air jacket disposed around the exhaust pipe, is supplied through the supply pipe 52 from a distended cone shaped housing 54 opening toward the side of the engine and the exhaust pipe where the air is heated by the heat from the engine.v From the supply pipe 52,-the air passes through the air passages 55 out through a mass 56 of artificial or natural sponge or other suitable material, disposed in a moistening tube 58 connecting the supply pipe 52 with the outlet pipe 61. Disposed below the outlet pipe 61 and'forming a continuation thereof is the float chamber 62 in which is disposed a float 64 connected by means of a rod 65 with a bell crank lever 66 pivotally mounted on a small bracket 68 and connected to a needle rod 70 loosely disposed in a perforated pipe 71 pass ing through the uppermost air passage 72.

The outer end 74 of the perforated pipe 71,v

is secured in the valve seat 7 5 fixed by means of a rivet 76 or other suitable means to the side-of the supply pipe 52. The valve seat is fed by the water tube 29 in the same manner as in Fig. l, and also receives thepointed end 78 of the needle rod 7 O.

The operation of the device of Figs. 4 and 5 is as follows:

The heated air passes from the cone shaped housing 54, through the supply pipe 52, through the air passage 55, through the outlet pipe 61 to the carbureter. Water is supplied through the pipe 29 to the valve seat 75 and the perforated pipe 71, whence it passes through the perforations and saturates the mass of sponge or the like 56. The excess of water leaks from the sponge 56 and passes into the float chamber 62, thus raising the float and forcing the needle 78 into the valve seat, thus shutting up the water supply until the portion of the water is evaplgrated from thesponge and the float cham- It is of course, understood that the housing 14 may be used with the moistener 50 or that the cone shaped housing 54 may be used with the moistener 10.

By the arrangement of the valves 30 and 31, it is evident that the water supply may be drawn either from the tank 32 or from the water pipe 8, or partly from both.

The tank 32 may be supplied with water through a suitable opening provided with a cap 80.

I claim as my invention;

1, In an air supply moistener, the combination of absorbent material adapted to contact incoming air; means for supplying water to the material where it is thus contacted to the point of supersaturation; and means for automatically stopping said supply only when the material becomes thus supersaturated.

2. In an air supply moistener, the combi- J nation of material therein adapted to contact incoming air; means for supplying water to the upper part of the material; and means operated by the drip from said material for stopping the supply.

3. In an air supply moistener, the combination of an intake pipe; absorbent material therein adapted to contact the air passing through the pipe; means-for supplying water to the absorbent material; and means operated by the drip from the material for stopping said supply.

4. In an air supply moistener, the combination of an intake pipe; absorbent material therein adapted to contact the air passing through the pipe; means for supplying water to the upper part of the absorbent mate rial; a chamber adapted to catch the drip from said material; and a float in said i chamber operatively connected to said means for stopping the supply of water.

5. In an airsupply moistener, the combination of an intake pipe; a discharge pipe; absorbent linings in said pipes; a reservoir surrounding the pipes and communicating with the upperpart of the interior thereof; a float chamber below said pipes and communicating therewith; a float in the float chamber; and a valve operatively connected to the float and adapted to discharge into said reservoir.

6. In an air su ply moistener, the combination of an inta e pipe; a discharge pipe; absorbent linings'in said pipes; a reservoir surrounding the pipes and communicating with the upper part of the interior thereof;

a float chamber below said pipes and communicating therewith; and means for sup plying water to the reservoir.

7. In an air supply moistener, the combination of an intake pipe; a discharge pipe; absorbent linings in said pipes; absorbent cross-pieces extending across the pipes; ,a reservoir surrounding the pipes and communicating with the upper part or" the interior thereof; a float chamber below said pipes and communicating therewith; and

means for supplying water to the reservoir.

8; in an air supply moistener, the combination of an intake pipe; a discharge pipe; absorbent linings in said pipes; a reservoir surrounding the pipes and communicating with the upper part of the interior thereof; a float chamber below said pipes and communicating therewith; a .needle valve seat discharging into said reservoir; a floatin the float chamber; and a needle on the float and extending into the valve seat.

9. In an air supply moistener, the combination of an intake pipe; a discharge pipe; absorbent linings in said pipes; a reservoir surrounding the pipes and communicating with the upper part of the interior thereof;

a float chamber below said pi es and communicating therewith; a needs valve seat discharging into said reservoir; a tube extending'from the float chamber to near said seat; a float in the float chamber; and means for supplying water to the reservoir.

10. In an air supply moistener, the combiwith the upper part of the interior thereof;

a float chamber below. said pipes and communicating therewith; a needle valve seat discharging into said reservoir; a tube extending from the float chamber to near said seat; a float in the float'chamber; a needle on the float andextending through the tube into said seat; and a cap on said needle and loosely receiving the upper end of the tube. 11. In an air supply moistener, the combination of an intake pipe; a discharge pipe; absorbent linings in' said pipes; absorbent cross-pieces extending across the pipes; a reservoir surrounding the pipes and communicating with the upper part of the interior thereof; a float chamber below said pipes and communicating therewith; a needle valve seat discharging into said reservoir; a tube extending from the float chamber to near said seat a float in the float chamber; a needle on the float and extending through the tube into said seat; and a cap on said needle and loosely receiving the upper end of the tube.

12. in an air supply moistener, the combination of a vertical intake pipe and a vertical discharge pipe, each provided with openings near the upper end; felt linings in said pipes and covering said openings; felt cross pieces extending from 'side-to-side of said linings; a reservoir surrounding said pipes and communicating with said openings; a float chamber below the pipes and communi eating therewith; a needle. valve seat disposed between the pipes; a float in the float chamber; a tube extending from the float chamber to near said seat; a needle on the float and extending through the tube into the seat; and a cap on said needle near the end thereof and loosely receiving the upper end of the tube.

H. E. Smcnn. 

